Montreal, March 11, 2024 — Move over edibles, there are fancier options on the horizon as CHEFS CANADA, the organization that manages our national culinary teams to the Bocuse d’Or and World Pastry Cup, launches CHEFS CANADA GREEN, a new division that will focus on educating culinary professionals, promoting and developing products and events that puts cannabis and other health and wellness local herbs at the forefront of fine dining. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the legalization of this budding industry in Canada, the group embarks on this new chapter with a team of three Canadian food service veterans: Chef Romain Avril, consultant, author, and Dean of CHEFS ACADEMY; Chef Jordan Wagman, educator and expert on cooking with cannabis in North America and Brigitte Foisy, VP of CHEFS CANADA and award-winning marketer. While the group has several plans for the year ahead, they are first launching a series of classes to educate culinary professionals on how to incorporate cannabis safely into dishes to create new and exciting experiences for Canadian consumers.
“Canadians are eager to see a more elevated infused cuisine hit the mainstream foodservice industry, explains Chef Jordan Wagman, newly appointed Director of CHEFS CANADA GREEN. While this represents a new potential revenue source for our Canadian culinary professionals, it’s important to first understand the basics of cannabinoids and terpenes and how to infuse them into food and drinks in order to create a delicious, safe and repeatable experience for guests.”
While mature markets like Colorado and California already enjoy a thriving cannabis-infused cuisine scene, Canada has been slow to adapt. While there has been a surge in interest in cannabis-infused cuisine across Canada since the federal legalization of cannabis, private chefs like Chef Romain and Chef Jordan, have been offering diners new and exciting experiences utilizing CBD, CBDA, THCA, THC, raw cannabis as well as botanical and cannabis derived terpenes.
“Before we educate consumers about the benefits of cannabis consumption, chefs and restaurateurs need to understand how to showcase the plant in a positive light and that includes dosing”, adds Chef Wagman. “In addition to taste, for us at CHEFS CANADA GREEN, it’s also about leveraging the overall health and wellness benefits of cannabis may they be as simple as lowering inflammation. The plant’s potential to alleviate symptoms including autoimmune diseases, PTSD, anxiety, menstrual cramps are many and are slowly getting to mainstream consumers, especially women 40 plus.”
CHEFS CANADA GREEN CLASSES
Starting in May, culinary professionals will be able to register for a six-week course that will equip them with all the information they need to begin hosting private dinner experiences. The course curriculum includes everything from how to create cannabis and terpene infusions safely to decarboxylation, emulsifications, and the math behind dosing and titration for repeatability. A certificate of completion will be provided by CHEFS CANADA to participants who successfully complete the course.
“As the largest network of chefs and culinary professionals in the country, CHEFS CANADA’s mission remains to promote our cuisine, terroir, ingredients and products while enabling a sustainable and profitable culinary scene”, adds Brigitte Foisy, VP of CHEFS CANADA who will be moving from her role with the national culinary teams to focus on developing opportunities for the 4000+ chefs in the group’s network. “We continuously seek new opportunities to inspire and equip industry pros that are part of the CHEFS CANADA family. CHEFS CANADA GREEN is simply a new opportunity to enable their success.”
To sign-up for the cannabis course and learn more about the curriculum, visit www.chefscanada.com/green.
ABOUT CHEFS CANADA
Devoted to inspiring culinary excellence, Chefs Canada has a mission to promote Canadian cuisine, terroir, producers, ingredients and products here at home as well as abroad, doing our part to create a sustainable and profitable culinary scene. Strong of a network that counts some of the country’s best chefs and top industry professionals, Chefs Canada works to shine the spotlight on our industry in order to further define and promote our cuisine through global competitions and partnerships. The organization is strongly rooted in their desire to unite, share and transmit our mutual expertise, techniques and savoir-faire amongst Canadian chefs but also with the next generation, creating a demand and standard for Canadian gastronomy on the world stage.
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